


Words Cut With a Knife

by thunderbolts_no



Series: a match made in hell [1]
Category: Descendants (2015)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Getting Together, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Multi, Poly, also there's some violence, and learn something about feelings along the way, and uma killing people, before the movie, especially in the later chapters, gil gets hurt, gil-centric, harry and uma patch him up, warning for blood mentions
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-22
Updated: 2017-07-25
Packaged: 2018-12-05 10:25:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,785
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11576157
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thunderbolts_no/pseuds/thunderbolts_no
Summary: A horrific event, something terrible happening to the sweetest villain kid on the island,  told from 3 points of view.1. Gil gets hurt, badly, while thinking Uma and Harry don’t care about him2. Harry pines from a distance and nearly loses 1/2 of the things that keep him sane3. Uma doesn't like people touching what's hers, so when Gil get's hurt she takes it personally*Originally posted separately





	1. Protector

**Author's Note:**

> Hey, so I wrote this super fast after watching descendants so I hope you like it even though it's probably not polished or good in any way. :)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 1\. Gil gets hurt, badly, while thinking Uma and Harry don’t care about him

The only thing of any value on the Isle was loyalty, and even then it always came with a price. Leaders, visionaries, villains, always demanded loyalty from their followers, but loyalty without reimbursement was almost never heard of. Loyalty could change hands as easily as money could. It was law on the island.

Gil was one of the exceptions to that particular law. Gil was loyal to his captain and first mate, no matter what came his or their way. They were a trio, the captain, first mate, and muscle. But Gil never had any doubts about where they’re loyalties laid with him. He knew they had none. The muscle, him, was interchangeable with every other member of Uma’s crew.

Gil had been a shadow for the two of them since he was a boy, back when they were just starting to scheme and plot. Uma would come up with plans, Harry was the daredevil who would execute them, and Gil, even at a small age, was the silent muscle in the back making sure they weren’t in over their heads. The protecter. But he’s sure they never even realized he was there.

As they grew older, the roles stuck. Uma was a mastermind, left to her own devices on the docks, scheming her way into acquiring a ship for her crew. Harry was eccentric and out of it, broken from years living with a messed up father and siblings but still daring to do anything. Gil was the backdrop, just there to be there, to scare everyone away from the two important ones.

Gil realized at 11 that he would die for both Uma and Harry, willingly. He realized at 12 that they probably didn’t even know his name, never bothered to ask for it and never bothered to use it. He realized at 13 that he was in love with them, a heart wrenching love that consumed him and destroyed him. He realized at 14 that they loved each other and would never love him.

When Uma got her ship, she chose her crew. An announcement was made in the chip shop, a speech given before the names were called. Gil didn’t even make it through the opening speech, he just left, tearing his heart to pieces right in his chest because he knew she would never chose him. He spent the next 3 days sleeping on the docks, not enough room in the house he shared with his dad and siblings, keeping one eye open to keep himself alive and safe. Everyone knew he was strong but they knew he was stupid too. 3 days sleeping of on the docks and then Harry grabs him, marches him to the ship, and shoves him into one of the crew quarters.

Gil thinks its a small miracle they even remembered him.

The bed in the room isn’t big enough for Gil so he sleeps on the floor, banging his head against the wall every time the ship rocks back and forth but at least he doesn’t have to sleep with one eye open, always watching. At least he’s safe with wood between him and the outside world. At least Harry and Uma are safe with him between them and the outside world.

They all grow older and Harry and Uma’s relationship intensifies. Gil pretends not to notice the looks, the stares, them sharing beds, knowing that they would never feel that way towards him. He’s just the protector, just the muscle, nothing more, nothing for them to care about.

He’ll just stay to the back, stay unloved because that’s what he’s good at.

Sometimes he makes mistakes, says the wrong thing to Uma or Harry or someone at the chip shop, and gets kicked out for a few hours, maybe a night. Every time he thinks its the last time, that they’re just going to cut their losses with him because honestly he’s not very bright. He’s not worth it, not like the others are. The only thing going for him is how strong he is.

And even then, loyalty changes hands as fast as money does and he knows Uma could find someone stronger.

This time his temporary banishment is lasting longer than usual, which bothers him. He’s already spent one night out in the cold, but Uma’s typically let up by now and sent Harry to get him back. Only this time she hasn’t. The sun sets behind the barrier and Gil tramps his way over to the place he used to sleep before Uma graced him with a bed on the boat for the second time in two days.

Its a small and cramped alleyway positioned between two massive barrels, but it’s safe from the wind off the sea and it’s warmer than the open air. It’s damp too, but Gil’s not used to luxury. He sits down against one of the walls, splaying his legs out straight until they hit the other wall of the alley.

‘Maybe this time it’s for real,’ he thinks to himself. ‘Maybe this time I don’t go back.’

He’s messed up one too many times, said one too many wrong things, to be granted another chance. He’s strong, but if he doesn’t stop undermining Uma or accidentally saying things that insult the crew then it doesn’t matter.

Uma and Harry will find someone else to protect them.

Gil tries not to let the thought get to him. His heart feels like it’s shattering anyway. He’s just never going to be good enough for them.

A chuckle brings Gil out of his thoughts. The entrance to the alley is filled with people, people in black he can’t make out. Gil stands, an uneasy feeling curling around his stomach.

“What do we have here?” The people file into the small alley, one by one, Gil doesn’t recognize any of them but from how they’re acting he figures they recognize him. “What’s one of Uma’s little shrimp doing so far away from the water?” The lead figure stops in front of him and it takes Gil a second to release he’s surrounded.

This isn’t good.

Gil doesn’t speak, doesn’t know what to say, and then he’s slammed back against the alley wall. His hands go up, to fight, to defend, but the people around him are strong, dock workers, people with grudges and no one to take them out on.

“Awe, look at the baby,” The leader coos, wrapping a hand around Gil’s throat as his companions hold Gil’s other limbs against the wall, his face covered by a hood. “Shouldn’t he be smart enough to know what happens to children out past their bedtime?”

There’s a shing sound and one of the others chuckles, “Obviously not, he’s that idiot that hands around the Octopus,’ Gil’s hand is dragged upward and flipped so the palm is against the wall, Gil would look to see what they were doing but the hand around his neck tightens, “Now, what should I write on this one?”

“Isn’t he the kid in love with Uma and Harry?” A voice asks as Gil doubles over suddenly, multiple people punching him in the stomach at once. “Write unloved, because that’s what he is.” Gil starts struggling as he’s punched again, and a knife tip breaks the skin on the back of his hand. “Because that’s what we all are,”

Gil feels a scream building up in his throat as the knife, at least he thinks it’s a knife but he can’t see it clearly, carves into the his flesh. The hand around his neck loosens and then his head is slammed backwards against the alley wall, once, twice, three times. He screams again, softer, and pain explodes behind his eyes.

All he can think of is the pain, as his head keeps getting hit, over and over, sometimes the back sometimes the front. His hand is throbbing, raw and the sharp pain from the knife doesn’t stop. He is punched again in the stomach but is held up, can’t double over to absorb the pain and everything is made worse.

He stops being able to think sometime through it, stops being able to hear and feel anything but the pain coursing through his body. Something new happens, the tips of his fingers sting and suddenly it feels like is finger is being cut off, sawed off at a slow rate.

Gil doesn’t even make a sound, he can’t.

There’s a shout and a shuffle and then Gil is on the ground, nothing supporting him, nothing holding him up. He coughs once, twice, and then there are hands on him again.

Gil shakes, trying to get them off, trying to just end the pain. He doesn’t want any more, but he knows they probably don’t care.

The last thing he thinks he sees before he blacks out is Uma and Harry’s faces. His mind playing cruel tricks on him.

-

Gil wakes up with a start, feeling bodies around him, his mind automatically thinking he’s going to get hurt again. He jumps, ready to sit up and hopefully get away, when a hand on his chest stops him from moving.

He opens his eyes before closing them again, the light too bright. The hand moves away and is replaced by a hook, slowly encircling his arm before he’s gently lifted into a sitting position. His head throbs as he tilts it forward, a small groan escaping from his lips.

Something smooth is lifted to his lips and Gil opens his eyes slightly to see a metal cup of water. He makes a grab for it, only to realize one of his hands is bandaged tight. Gil takes the cup in his other hand and gulps the water down, letting it sooth his dry throat.

The glass is taken away immediately, by a hand belonging to a body belonging to none other than Harry Hook. Gil realizes he’s sitting in Harry’s bed and makes a move to stand up, to move away, to not be a burden, to not need help. Harry’s hook on his leg stops him.

“You okay?” Harry’s voice is uncharacteristically soft as he looks at Gil, the mania missing from his eyes. He looks concerned and Gil thinks its a trick of the light. “Sorry we didn’t get to you earlier. When you didn’t come back, Uma made us all go out looking.”

Gil stays silent, just watching Harry, wondering why he cares so much. Harry just looks at him before reaching out to brush some of Gil’s blonde locks, free for some reason instead of tied away like he typically has them, out of his face, “We didn’t realize what was happening until Bobby saw you through that group of dockworkers,” Gil looks down at his hand, worry clenching his bones as he remembers all the pain. The feeling of his fingers being sawed off.

“Uma doesn’t think there’s going to be any permanent damage,” Harry follows his gaze, “It’s messed up pretty bad though. If the worst happens I’m sure I can find a hook for you.” Gil knows how much that statement means, coming from Harry who has his own demons about hooks.

“Thanks,” Gil says softly, his head still pounding, “I’m sorry you guys had to rescue me,” He continues, looking at Harry. Harry’s brows pinch together.

“Don’t think like that,” Uma says from the doorway. Gil looks up, startled, he didn’t even know she was there, “I was the one that sent you out there, Gil, and that was my mistake. Don’t apologize because someone else decided to use you as a punching bag.”

“Much more than a punching bag,” Harry looks sadly at Gil’s bandaged hand.

“You shouldn’t need to protect me,” Gil shakes his head, causing it to hurt more, causing him to let out a groan.

“I protect my own,” Uma comes over and puts a hand under Gil’s chin, lifting his face to her’s, “And you are mine Gil, don’t forget that.”

Gil doesn’t know what to say to that, the finality in Uma’s voice. Sure he’s always been apart of the crew, but he’s always figured he was the replaceable part. The only other person Uma has ever stated to be her’s is Harry, but that’s because he’s the first mate and her right hand man.

“And you’re my left hand man,” Uma says, as if she’s reading his thoughts, “You’re thinking out loud Gil.”

“Oh,” Gil lets his shoulders drop. 

“You’re not replaceable,” Harry says to him, the mania returning to his eyes, “Never think you’re replaceable Gil,” Harry puts his hand, his real hand not the hook, on his cheek, “You’re not replaceable to us.” Harry puts his forehead on Gil’s, smiling.

Uma sits down on the bed, looking between the two of them. Gil smiles softly, and Uma pushes a lock of his hair behind his ear.

Harry leans forward slightly, his other hand, the hook discarded somewhere on the bed, pulling Uma closer to the pair, as he brings his lips to Gil’s. Gil melts into the chaste kiss, something he never thought he’d ever get before Harry pulls back.

Uma smiles and kisses Gil too, slow and soft, so unlike her at any other time. Harry smiles and pulls them both close, Gil resting on his shoulder, Uma’s arms encircling both of them.

Harry laughs softly at Gil, who laughs softly in return. Uma hums at both of them. Gil feels something in his chest, something underneath the pain, and it feels warm.

They get up sometime later, Harry and Uma helping Gil into a standing position. They help him down the hall, towards his own room, stopping in front of the doorway. Neither of them had looked in before, content with the knowledge that Gil could handle himself, but that obviously wasn’t the case.

The mattress is on the floor, the blanket and pillow thrown over it. His bed, the physical frame of it, was holding his trunk, which was open and spilling clothes and trinkets. There was nothing else, save for his sword which hung off a hook on the wall.

Gil notices their stares, “The bed’s too small for me,” He says to calm them, braking from their hold and moving to the mattress on the floor, “This is the only way I can sleep.”

“The ship moves a lot at night,” Harry steps forwards to grab his arm again, “You hit your head a lot, don’t you?”

Gil shrugs, “It’s not too bad,” He thinks back, “It doesn’t wake me up anymore.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Uma asks. Gil’s stomach clenches.

“You gave me the room, gave me a spot on the crew when you didn’t have to,” He can’t look at the two of them, “I didn’t want to complain that it wasn’t perfect.” His gaze ends up on the mattress, while his shoulders point towards the two others. “It’s fine, nothing to worry about, really,”

“You getting hurt trying to sleep isn’t something you should see as fine,” Harry’s hand gets tight for a second. Gil flinches and he releases the pressure.

“At the time I figured it was,” Gil shrugs again, “I figured I was only part of the crew because you guys couldn’t find anyone else.”

“If you had stayed for the announcement of my crew,” Uma puts a hand on his face, dragging his attention to her, “You would have known that your name was the first I called. It took us 3 days to track you down, to find you, and bring you home.”

“I thought you didn’t want me,” Gil admits, “You never paid me any mind before, I thought that you’d forget about me once you got your own crew.”

“We will never forget about you,” Harry pulls Gil close.

“You’re mine, remember?” Uma smiles at him before hugging them both, “You’re both mine until the day you die.”

Gil smiles and the warm feeling in his stomach spreads to the rest of his body.

-

After that, it’s always Uma, Harry, and Gil. They go everywhere together, Uma and her boys. Gil’s bandage comes off and his hand still works, the knife scars creating a criss-cross pattern across his knuckles. The word UNLOVED glaring at his from the back of his hand.

Harry and Uma assure him it’s not true. Gil wants to believe it, but its hard when it’s always there. He thinks up a solution, one that Uma and Harry don’t immediately like, but he wants it. He wants the words to go away.

They burn the back of his hand that night, heating up a sword on a fire and pressing it against the marred skin. Gil screams into Harry’s neck as it happens, Harry patting his hair and holding him tight, but afterwards he thanks them as they bandage the hand.

Gil is still banished on occasion, for saying the wrong thing mostly, but it’s never for long and never for another night. Uma and Harry can’t stand anything happening to him again. Now, they think of more creative ways to punish him.

They all sleep in the same bed now, after a lot of nights trying to find Gil a suitable space to sleep, curled together, Gil under Uma and Harry. Uma likes tracing lines on Gil’s stomach and Harry likes hearing his heartbeat. Gil likes the warm feeling that curls in his stomach whenever they’re together.

And the protector finally feels protected.


	2. Manic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 2\. Harry pines from a distance and nearly loses 1/2 of the things that keep him sane  
> 

Harry hasn’t had the greatest life, he knows it, Uma knows it, Gil knows it. His father wanted a son to lead and he got 2 daughters as wild as they come, and Harry. He only ever wanted to make his father proud, to carry the hook legacy. He never got the chance. His father only sneered at him, over looked him in favor of his sisters. He found someone else to follow, someone with dark skin and green hair and a smile made for pillaging and war.

His mania, his desperation for the attention his own father denied him, worsened over time and Uma put it to good use. She had him teach the others of their little group how to fight, first with fists and then with a sword. She helped him steal, helped him melt down metal into a hook of his own to carry around. She saved what was left of him and he loved her for that.

Gil was someone in the background, but someone always there. He fought with the two, fought side by side with Harry and Uma like he was born to, always at his back. Harry came to rely on his presence, the security it gave him to have someone solid, someone massive and strong and unrelenting, to lean on.

He grew up with the two of them, fell hard for them before he knew what love was. They were his lights in the darkness that was his mind and his father and his hook legacy.

Uma was the first to reciprocate his feelings, the first to kiss him in an alleyway and declare, in her own way, that he was her's forever. He agreed wholeheartedly, knowing he’d walk into hell for her. Gil was still there, always there, and Harry loved him for it, pining after him without letting him know, taking him and his security for granted. Harry never told Gil how much he meant to him, thinking Gil knew what the stares and the smiles and the invitations meant.

He didn’t realize how wrong he was.

When Uma got her ship, he was right beside her to read the names. Something was wrong but he didn’t know what until Uma read Gil’s name and he was nowhere to be found. Fear gripped Harry so hard he couldn’t breathe properly, already thinking up 101 reasons why Gil wouldn’t be in the chip shop. It took them 3 days to find Gil in one of the nooks and crannies on the Isle, and when Harry saw him he was a mixture of relieved and angry. Gil looked at him, startled, and Harry said nothing, dragging a silent Gil back to the ship Uma had won in a fight. He presented Gil his room, one of the nicer ones with a slightly small bed but Harry didn’t think that would be a problem, and left because he didn’t know what else to do.

Harry slept better that night knowing Gil was on the ship, knowing he was safe and off the streets. Harry’s mind didn’t let him ask why he’d been on the streets to begin with, but it didn’t matter. All that mattered was that the three of them were together.

Except it wasn’t the three of them, it was the three of them and the rest of the crew. And Gil kept on fading to the back as problems and territory issues arose, clubbing heads where needed and being intimidating when not. The rest of the crew helped in their way too, but Gil stuck to the back until the last minute.

Harry might have been infamous for his manic state, but Gil became infamous for his apathy. And Uma was infamous for her cruelty. They were a match made in hell, for the hell that was the Isle.

Sometimes Gil said the wrong thing at the wrong time, more often than sometimes really, and while Uma and Harry never blamed him for it, they understood that he didn’t process the world like the others and his mind worked differently and that was why he said certain things, they always had to punish him. It was always banishment and it was never for very long. A couple of hours, a night at the most. Harry always found him and brought him back afterward.

Only this time things were different and it left a sour taste in Harry’s mouth. Gil had been gone for the night but had been strangely absent from the docks all day. Harry noticed Uma trying to act unfazed, but every few minutes she would look out at the docks or at the hatch leading down to the quarters or at Harry. She was worried.

When the sun started sinking behind the barrier she rallied the crew together, Harry standing by her side as always, one hand on her back in reassurance even while his own head was exploding with the need for his rock, the strength that Gil provided him.

“Gil hasn’t been seen since yesterday. You’re to search the whole night if you have to, but find him and bring him back to the ship,” Bring him back home, the words went unspoken but Harry heard them.

He needed to bring Gil back home.

Harry grabbed Bobby and Jayleen, two strong fighters, and marched off the ship with them in tow. Uma followed them, her eyes blazing. They scoured the docks, looking in alleyways and behind barrels, fanning out when they found nothing on the main docks. The other pirates vanished to separate sections of the Isle, all looking for the golden-haired, good-natured pirate.

“Hey, over here,” Bobby yells suddenly, followed by a thud and a thump and a “What the hell do you think you’re doing to him!”

Harry and Uma race around a corner into an alley and stop. Bobby and Jayleen have dockworkers against a wall at sword point, but lying in the center of the alley is a bruised and battered Gil.

Harry sees red, wanting to tear apart the people who did this to Gil, to sweet Gil who only ever protected Uma and Harry, who Uma and Harry failed to protect when he needed them, but instead of doing anything he kneels down, reaches out towards Gil with Uma right next to him.

As soon as their hands touch his body’s he’s fighting back, muttering strings of words that sound like ‘no please no’ but they can’t make them out properly. His eyes open slightly, looking at them for a mere second before he slumps forward again. Harry notices the blood pooling around his hand and the red staining his bandana.

Uma is the one to stand up, the one to face the dockworkers with a blank face and a drawn sword. Harry stays with Gil, pulls off his bandana and wraps his hand, all bloody and mangled and it looks like the carved a word into it and Harry sees red all over again.

The dockworkers scream as Uma, Bobby, and Jayleen cut into them, trying to fight back but a knife and muscle against 3 swords isn’t going to work. Harry hisses through his teeth, rolling Gil over, trying to avoid looking at his face because if he does Harry is going to join Uma in killing the bastards, and gingerly picks Gil up off the ground.

Harry can’t carry the brunt of Gil’s weight, the gigantic muscular boy typically carrying everyone else, but he tries his best. Uma yells at Bobby to help Harry take Gil back to the ship while she and Jayleen finish off the dockworkers.

They carry Gil to the ship, Harry directing them to his own cabin, which has a bigger bed and more menial medical supplies than he figures Gil’s does. As soon as Gil is laid down on the bed, his blonde hair splayed across the pillow, stained red in some places where he’s bleeding from cuts on his face and scalp, Harry barks at him to get out.

Harry’s mania leaves him, in that moment, looking down at Gil lying broken on the bed. He pulls out old clothes, discarded hard alcohol, and goes to work creating bandages and cleaning the wounds. His anger at the dockworkers deepens as he goes through what happened to Gil, cleaning his face and trying to get the blood out of his hair.

When he makes it down to the hand, the olive green bandana already soaked through with red, Harry feels murder in his bones. Still, he cleans the wounds as best he can, and when all the blood’s gone from the wounds Harry drops the bloody scrap of cloth in surprise and horror.

“Harry?” Uma asks, coming into the room, “Harry, what’s wrong?” Her hair is streaked with red and he’s pretty sure her sword will be bloody too, but all Harry can do is stare at the mangled hand.

Uma covers her mouth in shock when she sees it. His fingers are marred, deep slices crossing all of them as if the dockworkers tried to take them off. But that’s not the worst of it, the worst of it is the word carved deeply into the flesh on the back of his hand, ugly and brutal.

UNLOVED

Harry sets the hand down gently on some bandages and wraps it up tightly, his anger burning deep in his gut.

“Tell me they’re dead,” Harry says gravely, looking up at Uma with something much more than dark mania in his eyes, “Or else I’m going to kill them myself.” He means every word, how dare they hurt his and Uma's Gil, how dare they.

“They’re dead,” Uma nods, the same glint in her eyes, “I made sure of it.” He knows she's telling the truth because she would never let them live after something like this.

“Good,” Harry nods, “They deserve to rot.”

Uma regards him for a second before sitting on the other side of the bed, “You care about him deeply, don’t you?” She reaches out and takes Harry’s hand. He lets her before kissing her softly, needing the reassurance to get him through the dark thoughts already plaguing his mind, before pulling back.

“He’s been with us since the beginning,” Harry looks down at Gil, “I care about him in the same way I care about you,”

“I think I do too,” Uma looks down at Gil, something soft in her eyes.

-

When Gil wakes up, Harry is there to keep him safe. He jumps when he wakes up, Harry’s hand keeping him from hurting himself, jumps when Harry offers him water, jumps when he finally see’s Harry and when Harry stops him from climbing out of the bed.

“You okay?” Harry keeps his voice soft, Gil already spooked out of his wits and probably hurting all over, “Sorry we didn’t get to you earlier. When you didn’t come back, Uma made us all go out looking.” The apology is sincere, he really is sorry for not protecting Gil, and Harry know’s Uma is sorry too.

Gil just looks at Harry, an odd mixture of hesitation and hope in his eyes. Harry wants to hug him, to hold him and assure him of his feelings. But he needs to take this slow, to ease Gil into the idea. Hell, Harry doesn’t even know if Gil feels the same way.

So Harry reaches out and brushes some of Gil’s golden hair out of his face before continuing, “We didn’t realize what was happening until Bobby saw you through that group of dockworkers,” Harry has to stop himself then, has to stop talking otherwise he’s going to say something dark and completely true about what he wishes he'd done to those workers.

Gil’s eyes shine with pain as he looks down at his bandaged hand, no doubt remembering what happened. Harry doesn’t even know what really happened, but he know’s it was bad.

“Uma doesn’t think there’s going to be any permanent damage,” Harry lies to him, anything to keep Gil from feeling like a failure, like he’s damaged because of the hand. “It’s messed up pretty bad though,” Harry thinks for a second, a solution coming to his mind, “If the worst happens I’m sure I can find a hook for you,” Gil looks at him then, surprise written heavily on his face. The weight of the promise Harry just made hits him, how he would gladly give his own fathers legacy to Gil without a second thought.

“Thanks,” Gil says softly, smiling slightly before his expression drops, “I’m sorry you guys had to rescue me.” Harry pinches his eyebrows together, confused and upset that Gil would apologize for being cornered and ganged up on.

Before Harry can get the chance to protest, Uma steps in from her position at the door,“Don’t think like that.” Gil looks at her sharply, like he didn’t know she was there. “I was the one who sent you out there, Gil, and that was my mistake,” Harry knows Uma’s words are hard for her to admit, because it means she isn’t infallible and that she has weaknesses, Gil being one of them, “Don’t apologize because someone else decided to use you as a punching bag.” Harry looks down at Gil’s hand, his anger burning in his gut once again.

“Much more than a punching bag.”

“You shouldn’t need to protect me,” Gil shakes his head and groans.

“I protect my own,” Uma comes over and puts a hand under Gil’s chin, lifting his face to her’s, “And you are mine Gil, don’t forget that.” Harry looks between the two of them before nodding whole heartedly, Gil is Uma’s and Harry’s to protect and keep and nothing will get in between that.

Gil starts talking, almost without meaning to, and Harry listens in, his heart growing heavy as Gil continues. “I don’t know what to say, I’ve always been a part of the crew but I always figured I was replaceable. The only other person you, Uma, have ever stated to be yours is Harry but that's because he’s your first mate and right-hand man, I-”

“And you're my left-hand man,” Uma smiles at him, letting go of his chin. Harry’s mind swirls with ‘replaceable’ while Gil goes silent.

“It’s almost like you read my thoughts,” He says in that same soft voice.

“You’re thinking out loud Gil,” Uma corrects him.

“Oh,” Gil’s shoulders drop and Harry takes the opportunity to draw his attention.

“You’re not replaceable,” Harry can’t help the emotion going into his voice, the natural mania in him returning because Gil needs to understand how much he means to Harry, how much they both care about him, “Never think you’re replaceable Gil,” Harry puts his hand on Gil’s cheek, lowering his forehead to meet the blonde’s, “You’re not replaceable to us.”

Harry feels the bed shift as Uma sits down, his eyes locked on Gil’s. Gil smiles softly as Uma pushes a lock of his hair behind his ear and it feels so natural for Harry to lean forward and kiss Gil. The kiss is short and steals Harry’s breath away, Gil melting against him, tasting sweet on Harry’s lips. He pulls away too soon, not wanting to freak Gil out.

Harry wants to kiss him again, but Uma pulls Gil to her and kisses him too, just as soft as Harry.

Harry notes they’re being uncharacteristically soft with Gil, but he’s worth it. He’ll always be worth it to them. Harry smiles and pulls them both close, Gil resting on his shoulder, Uma’s arms encircling both of them.

Harry laughs softly at Gil, who laughs softly in return. Uma hums at both of them. Harry lets himself sink into the embrace, sink into the feeling of the two people he cares about the most around him. They’re worth being soft for, he thinks.

They get up sometime later, Harry and Uma helping Gil into a standing position. They help him down the hall, towards his own room, stopping in front of the doorway. Neither of them had looked in before, content with the knowledge that Gil could handle himself, but that obviously wasn’t the case.

Harry is concerned to see the mattress on the floor and the bed frame overflowing with clothes and trinkets, as if Gil sleeps on the floor. Surely the bed it small, but it can’t be that small.

Gil notices their stares, breaks from their hold into the room, and spins to face them, “The bed’s too small for me,” He says, almost in reassurance, “This is the only way I can sleep,” He motions to the mattress.

“The ship moves a lot at night,” Harry steps forwards to grab his arm again, “You hit your head a lot, don’t you?”

Gil shrugs, “It’s not too bad, it doesn’t wake me up anymore.” Harry’s concerned that it ever woke him up, that each night he went to sleep with the knowledge that he’d wake up hurt in the morning.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Uma asks, her voice quiet.

Gil looks terrified at her question, but he clears his throat, “You gave me the room, gave me a spot on the crew when you didn’t have to,” He doesn’t look at the two of them, instead choosing to look at the mattress, “I didn’t want to complain that it wasn’t perfect. It’s fine, nothing to worry about, really,”

“You getting hurt trying to sleep isn’t something you should see as fine,” Harry’s hand gets tight for a second. Gil flinches and he releases the pressure, upset that Gil thinks they don’t care, that they didn’t care when it's the exact opposite.

“At the time I figured it was,” Gil shrugs again, “I figured I was only part of the crew because you guys couldn’t find anyone else.” Harry pulls him closer to them, wanting to reach out and reassure that it was never the case.

“If you had stayed for the announcement of my crew,” Uma puts a hand on Gil’s face, dragging his attention to her, “You would have known that your name was the first I called. It took us 3 days to track you down, to find you, and bring you home.”

Harry doesn’t like thinking about those 3 days, the terror he had felt gripping his bones, now knowing where Gil was.

“I thought you didn’t want me,” Gil admits, “You never paid me any mind before, I thought that you’d forget about me once you got your own crew.” And just like that, Harry regrets ever taking Gil for granted.

“We will never forget about you,” Harry pulls Gil close, unable to keep him at arm's length anymore.

“You’re mine, remember?” Uma smiles at him before hugging them both, “You’re both mine until the day you die.”

Harry grips them fiercely, his pirate queen and his rock, the two most important people in his life.

-

When Gil first tells him and Uma what he wants to do about his hand, about the words that are so wrong and cruel carved into them, Harry immediatly says no, his voice climbing octaves higher as he fails to control himself. He will not let Gil get hurt again, not let him hurt himself. But Gil convinces them, both of them, and Harry find himseld clutching a screaming, crying Gil that night as Uma burns the words off his hand.

Afterward they curl around Gil, his tears giving away to a smile and a soft 'thank you' and Harry doesn't know what to do with himself. He doesn't know if he should hate himself for letting it happen, or be happy like Gil is. So instead, Harry just curls around him tighter, and Uma curls around them both protectively.

And the manic, for once, feels calm.


	3. Queen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 3\. Uma doesn't like people touching what's hers, so when Gil get's hurt she takes it personally

On the Isle, those that rule must rule with an iron fist. Uma is no exception.

Uma has always been known for her ruthlessness, her cunningness and attachment to no one but herself alone. Growing up alone on the docks did that to her, her mother only caring when she needed someone to work the night shift. Uma grew up knowing what needed to be done and being unafraid of doing it, surrounding herself with like-minded individuals to do her dirty work.

But Uma had Harry and Gil from the beginning, before she’d learned to be unyielding, two boys to hold her up when the going got tough in their childhood. Harry was crazy, battling his own demons, his mind addled with the need for the attention he lacked. Gil was silent and strong, his mind not comprehending the figurative, just the literal, the muscle of her small 3-person gang.

Uma didn’t plan on becoming attached to either of them.

In the beginning they were just for decoration, just a way to solidify her presence as a real player on the docks, just people to work for her as she grew up. And as they grew she became accustomed to having Harry at her side and Gil at her back, the boys and her against the world.

Uma convinces Harry, when they’re about 10, to teach her and Gil, along with the other tagalong members of her gang which has started expanding, to fight one day. They spend the next couple of weeks practicing, Gil already good with punches and Uma already good with a sword. Harry’s mania adds to their dynamic and the gang becomes feared among the Isle. The others learn well with their leaders so skilled.

Uma realizes she’s attached to Harry first, when he’s in a fight against a bigger and badder opponent and her heart feels like it’s squeezing out of her chest until Gil comes from behind and knocks the guy out. Harry finishes him with his hook and Uma feels nothing but proud for her two boys.

Uma kisses Harry later, that night in an alleyway, 14 years old and already falling in love. Harry kisses back with the ferocity she’s always admired about him and life continues on. They don’t hide their attraction, but they’re not physical about it. It’s a side story, a dalliance, that can’t get in the way of the things that really matter.

Uma doesn’t realize she loves Gil until she gets her ship, until she makes her crew announcement and feels immense pride to call Gil’s name first.

When he doesn’t show, it’s the same feeling as before with Harry and the fight, her heart is squeezing out of her chest because Gil isn’t there, Gil isn’t anywhere when he should be with her. She reads through the rest of the names grimly, Harry’s jaw flexing out of the corner of her eye and it’s the first time she realizes how much they need Gil in their lives.

They search for 3 day’s and the feeling in her chest only lets up when Harry informs her that he’s been found, that he’s safe and on the ship. She tries not to acknowledge the feeling, not wanting to admit to having a weakness in Harry, much less in Gil as well. Surprisingly, or not, loving two people is not weird for her.

So, she ignores her feelings, keeps her dalliance with Harry because she physically cannot stop herself from wanting to be near him, and builds her crew up to be the most feared on the Isle. Gil stays Gil, always at the back, always ready to do what’s necessary to protect his captain and first mate.

He’s apathetic when knocking out isle members, but Uma knows he likes the power that comes with being one of her crew.

She hears, of course, about a girl with purple hair and the mark of the dragon, the daughter of the great and powerful Maleficent, and her little gang of thugs and thieves, but pays no attention. Her pirate crew are meaner than some fairy and her friends, she can assure you of that.

She banishes Gil every once in a while, for stupid silly reasons because he can’t keep his mouth shut sometimes. She doesn’t blame him, knows it’s not his fault his mind processes things differently from the rest of them, knows that his words aren’t meant to be taken the wrong way but things get too complicated in his head. She has to banish him though, to keep her position and to reassure the rest of the Isle of her ruthlessness, but it’s never for long.

She can’t stand him being away for long.

She sends Harry to grab him within a few hours or after a night, which he does willingly and quickly. Uma notices he’s also grown attached to the son of Gaston in the same way she has, but she never says anything.

In her mind they’re both her’s though, they’ve both been hers since the day they met.

When Gil doesn’t show up one morning after a night of banishment, for some stupid comment to one of the crew about skirts and impracticalities, Uma finds it worrying. She spends the day checking the docks, the ship, even Harry, for that blonde hair hidden under the green bandana.

He never shows and the fear grips her heart again.

That night she orders her crew out to look for him, to find him no matter what.

She needs him back, never realized how much his presence calmed her, helped her, until the moments when she didn't know where he’d gone. That night she follows Harry and Bobby and Jayleen as they scour the area surrounding the docks for their golden haired boy.

They search the docks, the panic rising in her the longer it takes for one of her crew to find him. He’s supposed to be hers, what was she thinking, banishing him? He may be an idiot but he’s still one of her crew.

It isn’t until Bobby’s shouting ‘He’s here!’ or something along those lines that the foul feeling in Uma’s stomach calms down, until she and Harry run into the alley to see Gil on the floor, bleeding and broken which is something someone so strong and brave should never be, and the dockworkers who made him that way up against the wall at sword point.

Uma drops down to Gil and her heart breaks when he fights him and Harry, thinking they’re just going to hurt him. She can tell Harry’s upset, ready to kill everyone who dared touch him, but she’s the one who rises to join Jayleen and Bobby.

“Well, well, well,” She starts, drawing her sword and reveling in the stunned and scared faces of the dockworkers, “What do we have here? Seems a few of you touched something of mine, and you know I don’t like that,” She puts her sword under the chin of the center man, “Now, what are we going to do about it?”

“Please, we didn’t know you protected him,” One of them starts blabbering.

“He’s one of my crew isn’t he?” Uma laughs cruelly, “That makes him under my protection.”

“He’s always being kicked out though, we thought you wouldn’t care,” The middle one continues to talk, to say anything.

Uma takes a step forward and punches him in the face, her rings breaking the skin around his nose and mouth. She does it again, her sword the only thing holding the dockworker up now.

“Say that again, I dare you,” Uma cocks her head to one side, which is the cue for the other two to run their swords through the outermost dockworkers.

There’s screams and yells for mercy, but Uma pays them no mind as she cuts into the bodies, red blood splaying everywhere. They don’t touch what’s hers, no one touches whats her’s and gets away with it.

Sometime through Uma notices Harry struggling to carry Gil out of the alley, the bloody boy usually the one doing the heavy lifting.

“Bobby, help Harry,” Uma barks, the boy in questions leaving the bodies and helps Harry carry the son of Gaston out of the alley.

Her and Jayleen finish up the dockworkers, leaving their crumpled bodies as a message to anyone who thinks they can mess with her crew, with her Gil or her Harry, and leave.

Jayleen and her walk back to the ship calmly, Jayleen wiping the blood off her sword with her skirt and Uma not caring about the blood on her own. When they get to the ship, Uma orders Jayleen to round up some crew to get the rest of them back, now that Gil has been found and brought home.

Home. Because this is where his home should be, this is where he should stay. At home, with her and Harry.

Uma makes her way down to Harry’s room, knowing the manic boy well enough to know that he’ll have Gil in his room, using old alcohol and clothes as makeshift bandages and antiseptic. That boy is just as attached to Gil as she is.

When she makes it into the room, Harry is staring down at Gil’s hand with an odd, uncomfortable look on his face. She notes that he’s already cleaned the blood off of Gil’s face handout of his hair, which is splayed across the pillow, the cuts and bruises from fists already darkening on the boy’s fair skin.

“Harry?” Uma asks, stepping closer to the strangely calm manic boy, “Harry, whats wrong?” Because something is clearly wrong. Uma looks down at the hand, still being held by Harry, and covers her mouth in shock, suddenly even more incredibly glad the dockworkers were killed for hurting Gil.

Gil’s fingers have deep cuts crossing them, as if someone was in the process of sawing them off when they were interrupted by Bobby, but that’s not the worst of it. The worst of it is the word carved deeply into his flesh, the pain it must have caused only second to the implications the word means.

UNLOVED

Uma’s mind goes to dark places at those words, wishing she could have done something worse to those lowlife dockworkers who think Gil is unloved, who carved it into his flesh. He was never unloved.

Harry puts the hand down, a dark and dangerous look in his eyes, one Uma has never seen before. He looks at her, and his voice is deathly when he speaks. “Tell me they’re dead, or else I’m going to kill them myself.”

All Uma can do is nod, is give him and herself the satisfaction of knowing that the people who hurt their Gil in such a horrible way are not alive anymore. “They’re dead. I made sure of it,” She says with a smile, manic and happy.

“Good,” Harry nods, “They deserve to rot.” Harry looks back down at Gil, his eyes going soft.

Uma watches him, watches the way he regards Gil, and thinks for a second before speaking. “You care about him deeply, don’t you?” She reaches out to grab Harry’s hand. They kiss briefly, Harry and her both needing the physical support before the inevitable emotional reveal.

“He’s been with us since the beginning,” Harry looks down at Gil, that same soft look in his eyes as before, “I care about him in the same way I care about you,”

“I think I do too,” Uma looks down at Gil, something soft in her eyes too despite the darkness in her mind. Gil is her’s, and no one hurts what is her’s.

-

When Gil wakes up, Harry is the one on the bed and Uma watches them from the doorway. Gil will respond better to Harry, she knows that. Harry knows how to be soft, even if he doesn’t realize it. Harry knows when to push and when to pull back, Harry knows Gil enough to know how to handle him at his worst.

Uma is unrelenting and forward, something Gil responds to on good days but like this, all cowardly and quiet, so quiet it makes Uma want to kill someone else, he’s not going to respond well to her without a buffer. Harry, surprisingly, being the buffer.

So Uma just watches their interaction, the water and then the smiles. She watches the way Gil looks at Harry, the way Harry moves Gil’s hair out of his face tenderly, and the fierce protection she feels for the two of them overtakes her.

They are her’s. They will always be her’s.

Harry reassures Gil about his hand and Uma tunes back in when she hears her name. “Uma doesn’t think there’s going to be any permanent damage,” Harry lies. She knows Harry is lying because she never said that, it never came up.

But the way Gil lights up at it makes it worth it.

“If the worst happens I’m sure I can find a hook for you,” Harry continues and Uma knows the weight of his words, knows that Harry would go to hell for Gil just like her would for her.

“Thanks,” Gil smiles softly, “I’m sorry you guys had to rescue me,” Gil sounds so apologetic and regretful, like what happened could have somehow been prevented by him, and Uma steps in without a second thought.

“Don’t think like that,” She notices Gil jump at her words, him not expecting her to be in the room, “I was the one who sent you out there, Gil,” She moves closer to the bed, emphasizing her point, “And that was my mistake.” It’s hard for Uma to admit a mistake, but she admits this one freely. Banishing Gil so many times, making people unsure of whether or not he was an important part of this crew, that's a mistake she made. “Don’t apologize because someone else decided to use you as a punching bag.” 

Her words are loaded and Harry let’s out a hiss at them, “Much more than a punching bag.”

“You shouldn’t need to protect me,” Gil shakes his head and groans at the motion.

“I protect my own,” Uma puts a hand under Gil’s chin, lifting his face to see her’s, “And you are mine Gil, don’t forget that.” She needs him to understand how much he means to her, that she wouldn’t be able to function without him, without both of them in her life.

Gil nods, his eyes shining, and starts talking in a soft voice. It takes Uma to realize he’s thinking aloud.

“I don’t know what to say, I’ve always been a part of the crew but I always figured I was replaceable. The only other person you, Uma, have ever stated to be yours is Harry but that's because he’s your first mate and right hand man I-”

“And your my left hand man,” Uma smiles at him, letting go of his chin gently.

“It’s almost like you read my thoughts,” He says in that same soft voice.

“You’re thinking out loud Gil,” Uma corrects him, as gently as she can.

“Oh,” Gil’s shoulders drop and Harry takes the opportunity to draw his attention away from her. Uma watches them, watches the two most important men in her life.

“You’re not replaceable,” Harry says, gripping Gil with his words, “Never think you’re replaceable Gil,” Harry puts his hand on Gil’s cheek, lowering his forehead to meet the blonde’s, “You’re not replaceable to us.”

Uma sits down on the bed, entranced. She watches as Harry leans forward and kisses Gil, the blonde boy melting under the pressure of Harry’s lips.

Harry’s kiss is short but Gil looks like an angel afterwards and Uma leans over to capture his lips as well, soft and slow because she needs to be soft with Gil. She can learn to be soft for Gil.

Uma breaks the kiss and Harry pulls them together, hugging them to his chest. 

Harry laughs softly at Gil, who laughs softly in return. Uma hums at both of them, letting herself just be, leaning against a wall of muscle and a manic boy, both of whom she loves with all her heart. Because that’s what this is, love.

They get up sometime later, Harry and Uma helping Gil into a standing position. They help him down the hall, towards his own room, stopping in front of the doorway. Neither of them had looked in before, content with the knowledge that Gil could handle himself, but that obviously wasn’t the case.

Uma never thought much about the living quarters of her men, figuring they’d either be fine or figure out some other arrangement, but looking into Gil’s room leaves her a little uncomfortable.

The mattress is on the floor, a blanket and pillow strewn over it haphazardly. On the bed frame is a trunk and clothes and trinkets are everywhere. Uma knew Gil was big, but she thought his bed fit him at least. It’s dangerous to sleep on the floor on a ship, especially on the isle with the night storms.

Gil breaks from their hold, into the room, and spins to face them, “The bed’s too small for me,” He says, almost in reassurance, “This is the only way I can sleep,” He motions to the mattress.

“The ship moves a lot at night,” Harry steps forwards to grab his arm again, “You hit your head a lot, don’t you?” Uma agrees in her head, she needs to know if Gil is letting himself get hurt just to stay. She wanted him to have a home, but not like this.

Gil shrugs, “It’s not too bad, it doesn’t wake me up anymore.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Uma asks, the revelations this room is bringing up hurting her to her core. She’s supposed to protect him, he’s her’s for crying out loud, and she couldn’t even protect him on his own ship.

Gil still looks terrified, but he clears his throat, “You gave me the room, gave me a spot on the crew when you didn’t have to,” He doesn’t look at the two of them, instead choosing to look at the mattress, “I didn’t want to complain that it wasn’t perfect. It’s fine, nothing to worry about, really,”

“You getting hurt trying to sleep isn’t something you should see as fine,” Harry’s says harshly and Gil flinches. Uma doesn’t like the look on Gil’s face, the look that screams he thought they didn’t care about him when it was the exact opposite the whole time.

“At the time I figured it was,” Gil shrugs again, “I figured I was only part of the crew because you guys couldn’t find anyone else.” Harry pulls him closer to them, and Uma reaches out to put a hand on Gil’s face, drawing his attention.

“If you had stayed for the announcement of my crew, you would have known that your name was the first I called.” Uma says slowly, wanting Gil to realize how much he means to them “It took us 3 days to track you down, to find you, and bring you home.” Because that’s what this place is for Gil, home, and Uma will accept nothing less.

“I thought you didn’t want me,” Gil admits, “You never paid me any mind before, I thought that you’d forget about me once you got your own crew.” Uma wants to go back in time and beat herself to death for ever making this beautiful boy think that she didn’t care.

“We will never forget about you,” Harry pulls Gil close, unable to keep him at arms length anymore. Uma joins the hug, wrapping her arms around her two boys.

“You’re mine, remember?” Uma smiles, “You’re both mine until the day you die.”

-

When Gil’s bandage comes off the words are still red, still emphasized on his skin. Uma and Harry try with all their might to make him believe they are not true, but the damage is done and Uma wants to crawl into hell itself to continue punishing those dead dockworkers.

When Gil comes to them with a solution, a way to make the words go away that would be highly painful, she makes sure it’s what he wants. She doesn’t want to hurt him, doesn’t want him to feel that hurting himself like this is the only option, but he’s sure. He wants the words to go away.

Uma is the one to do it, heating her sword up on a fire and pressing it against the marred flesh on his hand, burning away the scarring words. Gil screams into Harry’s neck as it happens and Uma’s heart breaks as the sound.

When it’s done she bandages the hand herself, her heart heavy, and pulls Gil close, into the softest and tightest hug she can muster. Harry joins too, and Gil smiles through the tears, thanking them for helping him get rid of the words that plague his mind.

Uma keeps her boys close after that, never banishing Gil for too long, keeping Harry in line when necessary. She stops being able to function without both of them by her side. They are much more than lovers, they are her’s. 

And the queen finds solace in her court.

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so they're all posted here now.
> 
> If you want to check out my tumblr my writing blog (which is fairly new so bear with me) is thunderbolts-no.tumblr.com


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